World Championship Wrestling 2001

[DMN in the House]

Atlanta, Georgia

Sunday, April 15th, 2001

AND WE ARE LIVE! Pyros go off, the fans are cheering, and World Championship Wrestling is alive and well! Cut to the announcer's booth, where we are welcomed by none other then Eric Bischoff and... Joey Styles? I'm not one to complain, but I'll have to cross that off the list of things I never thought I'd see. Its like Bischoff hugging Vince McMahon on RAW or something.

Styles is as bemused as I am, as he welcomes the fans, and explains the whole situation, right down to Eric Bischoff being the man behind the mayhem, now more then ever. Bischoff flashes his trademark evil grin, and confirms it, then promises some 'suprises' on the evening, before Styles sends us ringside for what should be a great contest.

Shane Helms is out first, switching back to the UFO pants from the tights he wore at Greed, and sporting the WCW Cruiserweight title around his waist. He slaps hands with a few fans as he makes his way around the Spring Stampede ensignia'd ring, and then poses on each turnbuckle.

His entrance is cut short as Jamie Knoble's music hits, and he stomps out in a pair of cut-off jeans, and no shirt. He makes his way to the ring, jawing with some fans, and then points at Helms, making belt motions around his waist, before entering the ring.

Jamie Knoble vs. Shane Helms ©

Knoble begins the match by insisting that the referee check Helm's boots again, after the referee had done so on Knoble's way to the ring. After some abuse, the referee reluctantly does so, allowing Knoble the oppurtunity to attack, and drive Helms to the mat with a few clubbing blows to the back. Knoble follows up with a few stomps, then a second rope elbow drop that comes a one count away from quickly making him the new WCW Cruiserweight Champion.

Helms fought back to his feet, and the two locked up at center ring. Knoble tried to duck under to a waistlock, but Helms countered, and took Knoble over with a headlock, holding it on the mat for a moment until Knoble powered to his feet. Jamie then tried a backdrop counter to the hold, but Helms slid down the back, and rolled him up, only to have Knoble kickout and reverse, pinning the champion's shoulders to the mat. The two went back and forth for a good minute and a half, before both popping back up to their feet, to the approval from the crowd.

Knoble is visibly frustrated, as thus far his attempts have been thwarted, and the two lock up again, this time with the challenger roughly taking control, and taking Helms over with a snapmare. A few cheap kicks to the back, then he hits the chinlock, really making a show of working it, making it seem like much more then a resthold, which is nice. Styles puts over the usual 'he's taking a breather while his opponent struggles for air' psychology, while Helms fights for the ropes, eventually getting the break.

Helms rolls to the outside, but he's not safe there, as a baseball slide from Knoble puts two feet in the champ's face, and knocks him into the guardrail. Knoble takes over from there, whipping Helms into the post, then dumping him back into the ring, and attempting to lock on a leg submission which Eric Bischoff proclaims 'The Trailer Hitch'. Helms counters with a roll-up, and nearly retains, but Knoble kicks out after a long two. Helms goes right back on the attack, lifting up the challenger, but gets caught with a snap suplex by Knoble, followed by an elbow drop to the knee, and then some more pain as the challenger wrenches back on it, really working the leg now.

The pain was evident on Helm's face after Knoble released the hold to do some taunting of the crowd, and as he pulled himself up with the ropes, it looked like his knee might buckle. However, he was able to avoid a mad rush by Knoble, and backdropped him OVER the ropes to the floor below for the first holy shit bump of the night. Of course, this is WCW, so thats probably the ONLY holy shit bump tonight. Consider yourself honored.

Helms got a second wind at this point, as he half ran, half hobbled over to the far ropes, and back, diving between the top and middle ropes to take out Knoble, and pop the crowd once again. Unfortunately for the champ, he's unable to capitalize, as the damage to his leg slows down his rise to his feet enough for Knoble to take advantage with a dragon screw off of a kick attempt, and then a figure four on the floor that draws a few 'Wooo's from the crowd. Mindful of the count, Knoble breaks the hold, and rolls the champ back in at 8.

Back in the ring, Knoble sets Helms up for the Jumping Tombstone Piledriver, but Helms is somehow able to flip it over, and turn it into the Nightmare on Helms Street! He nails it, and goes for the cover. ONE...TWO...THRE-NO! KNOBLE KICKS OUT OF THE NIGHTMARE ON HELMS STREET! Helm's can't believe it, and quite frankly, neither can I. Helms rolls over, and looks around in disbelief, which gives Knoble a chance to rise to his feet. A kick to the gut and a DDT, and both men are down!

Once again, Knoble is the first to rise, and this time he sees that Helms is still down, and elects to climb to the top rope. He signals for his Moonsault, and leaps, BUT HELMS ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY! KNOBLE GOES CRASHING TO THE MAT! Knoble is out, as Helms pulls himself into the corner, and sits for a moment, before pulling himself up with the ropes. He hobbles over to Knoble, and pulls him in, calling for the Vertebreaker! HE NAILS IT! This baby is over.

Your WINNER and STILL WCW World Cruiserweight Champion... SHANE HELMS

81,67,96

****

Knoble was helped from the ring, as Helms once again pulled himself up by the ropes, and re-claimed his belt. He held it high to the crowd. However, when he turns his back to the entrance ramp, someone jumps the railing, and slides into the ring. They're wearing a hood, and some slack, pleather looking pants, and when Helms turns back around... RED MIST! RED MIST! RED MIST! HELMS IS BLINDED!

Now we get to see why Joey Styles is here, as Eric Bischoff has no idea who the hooded man is, but when he pulls back the hood...

Joey Styles: ' OH MY GAWD! ITS YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI!'

And indeed, it is, as he pulls back the hood to reveal his shaggy hair and clean shaven face. A kick to the leg drops the blinded Helms to his knees, then Tajiri sets up for the brutal...KICK OF DEATH! Helm's is OUT! WHAT AN IMPACT BY THE JAPANESE BUZZSAW YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI! WCW agents, including 'The Enforcer' Arn Anderson, rush the ring, as Tajiri slides out of the ring, and escapes through the crowd. As the officials check on Helms, Styles and Bischoff are quick to point out that Yoshihiro Tajiri does NOT have a contract with WCW at the moment, making this a very strange situation, before sending us to the back.

Sting is in the back, finishing up his face paint. Instead of what has become his usual 'Crow' paint, he's gone back to the old 'colorful' Sting. He puts the finishing touches on it, then turns to the camera.

Sting: ' Its SHOWTIME, FOLKS!'

Fade back to the ring, where a confused Air Paris and AJ Styles are standing. Joey Styles makes a comment about this not being on his format sheet, and Eric Bischoff tells him to just watch. Suddenly, some pounding music hits, similar to what Goldberg used to use, which pops the crowd quite a bit, but they quiet down when they learn it isn't Goldberg.

Instead a huge man identified only Ron Waterman steps out from the back, in a simple black trunk, black boot combo, and makes his way down to the ring, where this is announced as a handicap match!

Air Raid vs. Waterman

Once in the ring, the tag rule is thrown out the window, so Air Raid charge the much larger Waterman, who bears a slight resemblence to Scott Steiner. They get taken out with a double clothesline, then taunted by Waterman, who urges then to get back up and try again. Air Paris is first, and gets slammed down HARD by a spinebuster, driving him into the canvas, and bouncing him from the ring, as he goes under the bottom rope. Styles tries his luck, but gets caught with a sit-out powerbomb, called as the Waterbomb by Styles, for the one, two, three to end the squash. Thus...

Your WINNER ... RON WATERMAN!

58,35,81 - I guess bumping counts for something, eh?

*¾

Styles and Bischoff marvel at the pure power displayed by Waterman, who, to add injury to injury, presses Styles above his head, then dumps him on top of Air Paris on the floor, before leaving. We then head to the back, where...

Lance Storm is pacing in the parking lot. He seems to be waiting to get a head's up on the 'Mystery' third man in the US title match, as he mumbles about having waited for the better part of an hour. Finally, a car pulls up, and Storm goes over to look in the window, only to have Diamond Dallas Page step out from the back, a big smile on his face. He does his 'BANG!' taunt in a disappointed Storm's face, before heading inside, which is a good thing, because his match is up next! A frustrated and disappointed Storm soon follows, missing a limo that pulls up, although the only clue of the occupant we get is the liscence plate, which reads '420'. I wonder who that could be?

Back at the ring, Marcus 'Buff' Bagwell stands in the ring, and, unfortunately for our fans, has a mic.

Buff Bagwell: ' The Buffster's got a little problem tonight.'

The crowd seems unsympathetic to Bagwell's troubles, as the begin to boo him. This only leads to Bagwell trying, in vain, to quiet them down.

Bagwell: ' See, I gotta face DDP, who's getting a shot at the World Title tonight, and, there just ain't no justice, because after I beat him, I should be getting the shot at the World Title!'

Yeah, I don't think the crowd is buying that logic Buff.

Bagwell: ' I mean, who better to be YOUR World Champion, then me? I'm Buff...'

Bagwell is cut off by the music of Diamond Dallas Page, who hasn't even found time to switch into his ring gear, due to his late arrival. He heads straight for the ring, and asks Bagwell for the mic, and gets it... right between the eyes!

Buff Bagwell vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Bagwell uses his well-timed mic shot to open up the match with the advantage, as he pounds on Page as the bell rings. A whip to the ropes and a backdrop open DDP up to some stomps, and then Bagwell heads to the top, looking to go high risk early, maybe a little too early as DDP is up, and dumps him off, to the mat.

DDP hits the chinlock, and we get a good few minutes of restholds, until Bagwell powers out, and sends Page off the ropes. Bagwell then takes him down with a clothesline, but Page pops up. Another clothesline, with the same result, and a third is countered into a neckbreaker that puts both men down.

Page is up first, and takes down Buff with a DDT, getting two. Fans think it should have been three, but it matters not, as Page is taken out from behind during a discussion over the count with the referee, and Bagwell goes to work, straddling DDP, and ravaging his head with punches. Ref finally breaks it up, and Buff flexes, but the crowd dosen't care. It turns out bad things happen when you don't stay on top of your opponent, as DDP hits the Diamond Cutter out of nowhere as Bagwell turns around, to end the match with...

Your WINNER... DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE!

75,79,68

*½

Cut to the back, where... BOOKER T is WALKING! Holy shit!

Back at ringside, where Lance Storm's music tunes up, as the no-nonsense Canadian makes his way out in some maple leaf design short tights, with matching red elbow and knee pads. He stops at the apron to pose, and gets a nice round of boos for... well, for being Canadian, I guess, as a small 'U-S-A' chant breaks out, which Storm brushes off.

The United States Champion Booker T's music is up next, as he enters, in the traditional Harlem Heat style trunks, with the belt over his shoulder. He stares down Storm before entering the ring, and once he does, he poses on the turnbuckle, raising the belt high in the air, as the crowd cheers for him. He takes his spot in the corner, and awaits the mystery man, who, if you've been paying attention, should be no mystery as...

BREATHE...SWEAT...WALK... WHATTYA SAY!

Kilgore's cover of Pantera's Walk sounds out, as the former Extreme Championship Wrestling mega-star, Rob Van Dam makes his way out, pointing to himself, and playing to the crowd. RVD is sporting a tiger print singlet, and slaps a few hands on the way down to the ring, and once inside, gets a small 'R-V-D' chant, as he points to his shoulders.

Booker T looks unswayed by Van Dam, even nodding his head to his challenger after handing his belt over to the referee, who holds it high, but Lance Storm is livid, especially at the crowd's love for Van Dam, on his first night in WCW.

Booker T vs. Lance Storm vs. Rob Van Dam

WCW United States Heavyweight Champion

The three men circle, which bores Van Dam, who takes the oppurtunity to play to the crowd, before Storm gets a waistlock, which Van Dam fights, and reverses. Suplex attempt is countered, and Booker T comes in, knocking Storm down with some rights, then handing some out to Van Dam as well. The champ is well in control, as he beats away at both men, before Storm lands a low blow to end Book's momentum.

With Booker T momentarily out of the picture, Storm attempts to work a hammerlock on Van Dam, but its countered, and Van Dam sweeps the legs out from under Storm. Cover is reversed at one, then reversed back, and the two trade back exposure to the delight of the crowd, with neither man able to get the advantage. Van Dam attempts to kick Storm, who catches it, but eats a step-through enziguri for his technical wizardry.

By this time, Booker T is back in the match, catching Van Dam with a snapmare, and putting a knee in his back. Van Dam fights to his feet, while Booker has his wrist's clutched, and nails a strange backflip kick to get out of the predicament, but runs into a Superkick by Storm that would have had the match won if not for Booker T's quick save attempt.

Storm pops right up, as RVD rolls out of the ring, and catches a chop from Booker, eliciting 'Wooooo's from the crowd. Storm fires back with one of his own, then another, and another, backing Book into the corner. Whip across, and Storm charges, eating leather as the champ gets his feet up, then a quick Axe Kick, but the save is made by a leaping Van Dam!

RVD catches Booker T with some kicks to the leg, then gets a double underhook, and lifts him up, planting him with a face jam out of the underhooks. The agile superstar from Battle Creek then runs to the ropes, and hits the Rolling Thunder on his way back, but a cover is thwarted by Lance Storm, who takes the opening as an oppurtunity to work on Van Dam's legs, with a Sharpshooter. Van Dam looks about to tap after being in the hold for a good thirty seconds, but gets saved when Booker T takes out Storm, and pushes him into the corner, opening up with some right hands.

Booker T keeps firing, and then we get some nice team work, when Van Dam charges in, and Booker T steps out of the way, leaving Storm with no chance to escape, as he gets caught with a kick, then a shoulder block to the stomach, followed by another, then a flip, and yet another shoulder block. Storm stumbles out of the corner, and falls to the mat. This leads to RVD and Booker T having a stare-off, which the crowd eats up, before Van Dam throws his traditionally weak punches, sends Booker T off the ropes, does the splits as Booker T comes back over the top, then monkey flips him, delighting the crowd.

Storm is back up, and whips Van Dam off the ropes, but RVD has the backdrop attempt scouted, and rolls over Storm's back, but its all for naught as Storm catches the running RVD in a Boston crab attempt, before transitioning to a single leg crab, otherwise known as his Canadian Maple Leaf! Storm looks to have the match won, but Booker T is still around, and catches him with a back elbow to his head, before hitting the most exciting move in WCW... THE SPINAROONI! Crowd eats it up, as Booker sets up for an Axe Kick on a rising Rob Van Dam, but he's cut off at the pass by a SUPERKICK FROM STORM! That nearly took his head off, and it sends Booker T out of the ring. Van Dam and Storm look at each other, and RVD rushes, only to get caught with a backdrop, before Lance Storm slaps on the Canadian Maple Leaf yet again to become...

Your WINNER and NEW WCW United States Heavyweight Champion... LANCE STORM!

84,82,86

***½

Storm roughly grabs the belt from the ref, and holds it up high, as Booker T looks on at ringside, having recovered from the Superkick. Book stands for a few moments, then realizes he has bigger fish to fry tonight in the World Heavyweight Title match, and brushes it off, walking backstage. Storm isn't done yet, as he pushes the title in the still fallen Rob Van Dam's face, before spitting on him, and walking off.

Quick commercial to pimp some WCW merchandise, expertly modelled by Stacey Kiebler, as well as the WCW website, and our next Pay Per View event, Slamboree on May 20th! Only one match announced so far, as apparently Shane Helms has demanded Yoshiro Tajiri in the ring, and has gotten it, in the form of Helms and partner Shannon Moore versus Tajiri and Jamie Knoble! That is gonna be a match of the year contender!

The Filthy Animalz music hits, as Rey Misterio Jr. and Billy Kidman make their entrance, hyping up the crowd. Rey is sporting his devil horns, as Kidman is his usually self, ready to wrestle in simple green trunks. They bounce around, playing to the crowd, before the mood changes as the champions music hits.

Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo come out all business, ready to put away the challengers, who got the title shot due to the Cruiserweight Tag Titles being retired. They enter the ring, and hold the titles high, then turn their attention to the matter at hand.

Rey Misterio Jr. and Billy Kidman vs. Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo

WCW World Tag Team Championship

Kidman and Palumbo start us off, and Kidman takes the human missle approach, launching himself at Chuck time and time again, only to be slammed down each time. Kidman eventually scored with a dropkick, but staggering Palumbo did little good, as the bigger man came back with a clubbing blow, then threw Kidman to the wrong corner to be in, where he tagged in O'Haire, and the two stomped Kidman to the mat.

O'Haire pummels Kidman in the corner, then pulls him up, ignoring some weak punches from the beaten cruiserweight. He tosses him over his shoulder, and drills him to the mat with a running slam, making a lazy cover, which Kidman barely kicks out of. O'Haire mocks him, which turns out to be a mistake, as a slam attempt is reversed into a DDT, spiking O'Haire, and laying both men out on the canvas.

Kidman rolls over slowly, and attempts to crawl his way over to Misterio, who is jumping and stretching with all his might to make the much needed tag. Kidman continues crawling, just barely missing Rey's hand, when he begins to get pulled back by O'Haire! With one last surge, Kidman pulls free, and slaps the outstretched hand of Misterio, who leaps off the ropes with a springboard dropkick, nailing O'Haire in the chest, and knocking him to the mat!

Rey is up in a flash, leaping to the second rope, and spinning around into a leg drop, wowing the crowd, and knocking the wind from O'Haire. Rey is a house on fire, running the ropes and playing hit and run with the slower O'Haire, keeping him at bay with dropkicks and the like. O'Haire is finally able to get his hands on Misterio, but Rey counters a slam attempt into a small package, and almost gets the upset victory.

O'Haire is furious, and it shows when he roughly grabs Misterio, and slams him into the corner, laying in with right hands, then grabbing him by the pants and neck, and tossing him hard, shoulder first into the ringpost. Rey stumbles out of the corner, and gets ran over by a Jungle Kick from the freshly tagged Chuck Palumbo, but Kidman makes the diving save on the cover, to keep the Animalz World Tag Title hopes alive.

All four men are in the ring now, with Palumbo laying into Kidman, but Billy valiantly fights back, dropkicking Palumbo's knee, then getting a weird second rope knee drop style manuever to Palumbo's head, while O'Haire punishes Rey. Misterio fights back, however, and in the confusion, nails the Tiger Feint Kick, called as the 6-1-9 by Styles, on O'Haire, before a slingshot leg drop follows up! Rey is back on the top of his game, but O'Haire is not the legal man, as Palumbo grabs Misterio off the top rope, and dumps him to the floor! Kidman comes up behind, but a back elbow and a back suplex end that threat.

Palumbo poses in the ring, then heads to the floor to finish off Misterio, who meets him with a flying body press off the ring steps! Palumbo catches him, but Rey turns it into a DDT variant on the concrete! Palumbo must be out, but Misterio can't get him into the ring! O'Haire charges from behind, and takes out Rey with a chair, as the referee is distracted with Kidman. O'Haire rolls Misterio into the ring, then rouses Palumbo, and gets him into the ring as well. Palumbo takes out Kidman with a Jungle Kick, while O'Haire goes up top for the Seanton Bomb on Misterio, allowing Palumbo to cover, as the Natural Born Thrillas pick up the three.

WINNERS and STILL WCW World Tag Team Champions... Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire... THE NATURAL BORN THRILLAS!

77,72,83

***

Lance Storm is in the back, with his newly won WCW United States Title over his shoulder. The Canadian flag is displayed on the wall in the background.

Storm: ' So it was you all along, eh Rob? The great Rob...Van...Dam. The savior of WCW.'

Storm looks at the belt, then back at the camera.

Storm: ' Some savior you turned out to be. Once again, it rings true that the superior wrestler always wins, and make no mistake, I am... the superior wrestler. After all, I come from the home of the greatest wrestlers in the world, Canada. So, as I sit here, a champion, I come to a crossroads.'

Storm removes the belt from his shoulder, and holds it in his hands, looking at it.

Storm: ' You see, when I won this belt before Rob, I renamed it after the greatest country in the world. After my country. After Canada. I wore it with pride, with honor, as it deserved. I was a champion, Rob... yet all I heard about... was you. Rob Van Dam this, Mr. Monday Night that, The Whole Fucking Show, blah, blah, blahblahblah. You stole my spotlight Rob. You took away my moments, you took it all! Just like you always have, since we wrestled in a run down bingo hall in Philidelphia. When we put on the best damn match on that first Pay Per View, and even then, even then you had to steal all the glory! I offered you my hand, in respect for a match well fought, and you turned it down, no, you'd rather pump yourself up, rather play to the crowd. YOU ARE WHAT IS WRONG WITH WRESTLING ROB VAN DAM, AND I AM GOING TO CHANGE THAT! Because I... I am a wrestler... and you... are nothing.'

Storm looks down at the belt, with fierce determination on his face, then looks back at the camera, as we fade out.

As we come back from Storm's segment, Diamond Dallas Page is on his way to the ring, and one would think that he has all the momentum going into this match, as he won his earlier contest with Buff Bagwell, while Booker T lost the US Title. DDP poses on the turnbuckle, getting a nice pop for the 'BANG', before getting checked by the ref.

Booker T is out next, and is looking mighty pissed. Having lost the title, he looks all business right now, ready to move up, and claim the World Title once again. You'd have to wonder if the earlier loss is running through his mind, which is something Styles brings up on commentary. Booker climbs into the ring, but instead of posing or playing to the crowd at all, he just stares at DDP, then at the World Heavyweight Championship as its held up by the referee.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Booker T

World Heavyweight Championship

DDP offers a handshake to start, but Booker dosen't want any of it, and slaps the taste out of his mouth. Page looks more suprised then hurt, and Booker challenges him to a lock-up, but unloads a right hand instead, stinging Page. Another one, and then a chop, and Page is reeling, back into the ropes, where Booker whips him to the far side, and catches him with a knee on the way back. Booker is real hot at the start, and is just overpowering DDP.

DDP fights back with some punches, but gets overwhelmed by the ferocity of Booker T, who is on fire, nailing rights and lefts, with some chops mixed in. He tosses Page into the corner, and sets up for a ten pack of punches, but DDP uses his reserves to power Booker T over his head, and send him to the arena floor! Page then climbs onto the apron, and dives off with a double axe handle to Booker, as both men go sprawling at ringside!

Page is up first, and he nails Booker in the face with a right hand, then another, before taking a wristlock, and wringing it around into a hammerlock. From there, he rams Booker into the steel post, as both men are pulling out all the stops to take home the most coveted prize in pro wrestling. Booker staggers back, and catches a neckbreaker, before DDP rolls into the ring to break up the ten count.

Back to the outside, where Booker reverses a whip attempt, and sends Page back first into the guardrail, then tries to slow things down by re-entering the ring. He takes some time jawing to the fans, then when Page tries to climb back into the ring, he helps him, pulling him over the ropes to hit the mat soundly. Booker grabs a leg, and nails Page very... low as Styles would call it, before putting on a simple leg lock. Page fights it, and counters with a headlock variant of his own, as we have a test of wills between the two men. Booker is first to break the hold, then powers to his feet, sending Page off the ropes to break the headlock, and taking a shoulderblock when Page comes back. Page then comes off the ropes again, but this time Booker catches a sleeper, and Page is stuck.

Booker sinks in the sleeper, and after about twenty seconds, Page drops to one knee. Book powers him down so that DDP is on both knees, and it looks like all life is gone from him. Booker demands that the ref check Page's arm, and he does so, holding it up, and letting it fall once... twice...thre... NO! PAGE HOLDS OUT AT THE LAST SECOND! The crowd gets behind him, and he buries a couple of sharp elbows into Booker's midsection, but Booker utilizes a sleeper drop variant, and puts Page back on the mat.

Rising, Booker T stumbles back towards the ropes, catching them for balance, as the elbows did some damage. He them moves over to pick up Page, but DDP catches him, and tries to get a quick small package to take home the gold, but its only good for two. Page pounds the mat in frustration, before both men rise to their feet. Booker charges, but DDP catches him, and looks to have him set up for the Diamond Cutter! NO! BOOKER PUSHES OUT, sending DDP off the ropes, and catches him with a rollup as he stumbles back. One...two...KICKOUT! Booker is heated about what he believes is a slow count, and the time he takes arguing with the ref is enough for Page to recover from the quick pin attempt.

Both men are reaching deep into their stamina reserves, especially Booker, who wrestled a much longer match the DDP did earlier. Booker pulls Page up by his hair, but Page tries to once again nail the Diamond Cutter, but Booker uses a back suplex as a counter. Cover is good for two, but two ain't good enough. Booker is reaching epic levels of frustration, and kicks Page in the stomach, setting him up for an Axe Kick! PAGE MOVES! Book misses the Axe Kick, and gets German'd before Page collapses against the ropes.

Page is winded, and with Booker down, he looks to end the match, covering. Somehow, Booker T gets the shoulder up at two, and Page slaps the ropes, as an outlet for his anger. He pulls Booker up, but puts himself right in harms way, as he gets set up for the Book End! BOOKER NAILS IT! He thinks about going for the cover, but decides to head up top instead...HARLEM HANGOVER AND...

Your WINNER and NEW WCW World Heavyweight Champion... BOOKER T!

75,78,70

*¾

Booker rises, and gets his hand raised, before falling back against the ropes, with the belt in his hands. He holds it, and stares at it, before raising it high. Page comes over to congratulate him, and shake his hand, but Booker is so into the belt that he ignores Page completely, until DDP gives up, and goes to the back. Finally, Booker walks to the back, never taking his eyes off the belt.

Backstage, we get a split screen. On one side is 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair, in all his stylin' and profilin' glory, walking to the ring. On the other, is Sting, complete in retro colored face paint. One Last Fall to Settle It All... and its NEXT!

More hype for next month, where you'll see WCW World Heavyweight Champion Booker T, as well as Rob Van Dam, Lance Storm, and all your favorite WCW Superstars, at Slamboree! Don't forget to buy our merchandise, and Spring Stampede will be available on DVD and VHS from WCWrestling.com!

Seek and Destroy hits, as the crowd is crazy go nuts for Sting, who comes out, yelling to the crowd. Lots of 'lil Stingers' in the crowd tonight, as the longtime 'franchise' of WCW slaps hands with the ringside fans, and poses for a picture with a kid in a wheelchair holding a Sting sign. You can really feel the vibe in the air as this may be the last time we get to see Sting lock up with Flair in the ring.

The familiar opening bars of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey begin to well up, as the robe clad 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair made his triumphant entrance, as cocky and collected as ever. Flair strutted to the top of the ramp, and took a spin, showing off his robe, before finishing his calm walk to the ring. Once inside, he raised his arms, and posed for the crowd, before removing his robe, and being carefully checked by the referee.

Sting vs. Ric Flair

Due to the magnitude of this epic, career long feud, it was given top billing, and the main event, over the World Championship match. Sting extends his hand to Flair, who looks at it, almost takes it, then kicks Sting! They don't call him the 'Dirtiest Player in the Game' for nothing. Both men are getting great reactions from the crowd, but its a bit weird, as they don't want to boo Flair.

Flair holds up Sting's jaw, and punches him, then does it again, before laying in one of his trademark chops, drawing a loud 'Wooooooo' from the audience. Flair eats it up, interchanging punches and chops, and working over Sting, who gets backed into the corner. Finally, Sting is able to turn the tables, and flips Flair around into the corner, putting the hurt on with a chop of his own, which gets a 'Wooooooo' from the crowd as well. Sting nails Flair with a few punches, then whips him to the far corner.

Once Flair reaches the far side, Sting signals for a Stinger Splash, but before he can reach the other side of the ring, Flair stumbles out, and flops on the ground, in his trademark fashion, which the crowd loves. Sting pulls Flair up, and Flair lets off a few punches that hit nothing but air, before proving he's still got it by going low on Sting! It's time to go to school, as Flair immediatley goes to work on the leg, stomping it, then wrenching it around with his knee in the back of Sting's knee. Sting fights for the ropes, and gets a break.

Flair refuses to break, and gets to four on the five count before doing so, then chop blocking Sting's leg when he rises, and going back to work, stomping the leg, then pulling it the wrong way. Sting fights, launching punches at Naitch's head, to break the hold, and rolls out of the ring. Flair follows, and Sting grapples him, before tossing him back into the ring. Flair is livid, and grabs the ropes, yelling and pointing at Sting, who finally re-enters, only to be met with stomps.

The Nature Boy went back to work on the knee, with stomps this time, but started to feel a little cocky, and tried to go up top, for a move he hasn't hit in ages. This night, however, would be different, as Flair nailed an elbow drop on Sting! Bischoff and Styles couldn't believe it, and the crowd couldn't believe it, as Flair sat up in disbelief, then cockily started to strut around the ring!

Sting, however, wasn't out of the game yet, as he struggled to his feet, propping himself on the ropes. Flair charged, and got met with a clothesline, then charged again, and caught a back drop! Sting was feeling it, as he started to make a comeback against Naitch, nailing him in the head with punches, then sending him to the turnbuckle, where Flair flipped over the ropes, and landed on the apron! Sting followed up with a clothesline, sending the Nature Boy to the floor, then fell back against the ring ropes, his leg hurting him.

As Flair rose on the outside, Sting looked around, then slingshotted over the ropes with a body press, sending both men to the ground on the outside, and bringing the crowd to his feet, as the face painted hero was giving it his all in this match. Sting rose first, and rolled Flair back into the ring, before picking him up, and whipping him to the ropes... STINGER SPLASH! Flair stumbled out, and Sting went for a cover, but only got two.

Sting pulled Flair back up, but got countered, and ended up in the corner himself, where Flair let off one of is trademark chops, once again drawing 'Woooooos' from the crowd. On the third attempt, Sting stopped him, and punched his way out of the corner, before Flair got dirty with an eyepoke, before kicking Sting's legs out from under him. Flair grabs the leg, and signals for the infamous Figure Four Leg Lock! He's got it locked in! Sting has nowhere to go, and fights, but collapses to the mat, for a two count, before pulling his shoulders up off the mat. He stares down Flair, who looks shocked, and begins to try and turn the hold over, pumping his fist as the crowd cheers for him to do so! With a final, powerful twist, Sting reverses the hold, and now all the pressure's on the Nature Boy! Flair pounds the mat with his fists, before breaking the hold to relieve the pressure.

Both men pull themselves up with the ropes, and Flair charges, trying to grab Sting. Sting sidesteps, and grabs Flair, spinning around in the process... SCORPION DEATH DROP! Both men are back down on the canvas after that one, and the referee has no alternatives but to start up a ten count. Sting begins to move around six, crawling over, and throwing his arm over Naitch. One... two... and thre-NO! RIC FLAIR GETS THE SHOULDER UP! FLAIR GOT THE SHOULDER UP! Sting can't believe it, and neither can the crowd, who are now soldily behind both men in this epic match-up.

Sting stumbles back, and into the turnbuckle, using it for support, as Flair drags himself off the mat. They both hobble to center ring, where they lock up, for what would turn out to be one final time. Flair goes for a suplex, but Sting rolls through, grabbing Flair's leg, and... SCORPION DEATHLOCK! He's got it in tight, as Flair fights, crawling, grasping, clawing for the ropes, in a vain attempt. With that avenue exhausted, Flair attempts a counter, but its not happening, and he has no choice but to submit the match!

Your WINNER... STING!

86,93,70

**¼

Sting releases the hold, as the just over seven thousand in attendance rise to their feet, giving a standing ovation to both men. Flair pounds the mat in frustration, before pulling himself up. He looks at Sting, and The Nature Boy has a weird look in his eye, like he's going to miss something. Sting extends his hand, and with the crowd urging him on, Flair accepts, before the two embrace in the middle of the ring, with the final image of the PPV being Sting holding Flair's arm up.

[ClaRK! Kent]

Absolutely fantastic, syco, I was gripped from start to finish with that one. A little sceptical about putting Sting/Flair over the World title, even if it is a feud of such magnitude, but that's your call I guess. Interesting to see Ron Waterman knocking around, I thought I was the only person who knew who he was these days.

RVD losing on his debut was unexpected, but the thing with Storm serves to start a pretty promising feud between the two so that's obviously a good thing, they'll mesh quite well I suspect.

Great show, again, but this'd better not detract too much from the split, boy!

RK!

[Guest scully16]

Great show Sycodm! Nice to see the return of RVD and Tajiri. If you go through with it, the RVD Vs Lance Storm feud should be awesome. Waterman destorying Air Raid was great to read. I guessed that Booker would lose the US Title and win the World Title instead which is a good move.

I will be interested where you go with Booker and his world title. I don't see Sting and Flair winning it. DDP is not that great. A Jeff Jarrett and Booker T feud may be a good thing.

I look foward reading too reading your next show!

[XxCactusmikexX]

I loved the show the whole thing was awesome i was hoping for Lance storm as the us Champion and Booker T as the heavyweight Champion.

and i cant wait to see where Tajiri will fit in to all of this id like to see him challenge for the cruiser weight title

[Guest [ Tyler ]]

Great read. Seems very realistic. Good job.

[DMN in the House]

Credit ~ Dirtsheetdotcom.com

WCW News

Yoshihiro Tajiri, Joey Styles, Ric Flair Retirement, and Spring Stampede Numbers

Yoshihiro Tajiri in World Championship Wrestling?

If you watched an excellent Spring Stampede Pay Per View, highlighted by an intense promo cut by Lance Storm, and a beautiful title defense by Shane Helms against Jamie Knoble, then you would know that Yoshihiro Tajiri is indeed in WCW.

This comes to a suprise to many, especially those in the World Wrestling Federation front office, as Tajiri had signed a 'letter of intent' to work with the WWF in mid-January, soon after the closure of Extreme Championship Wrestling. All sources indicate that World Championship Wrestling just put too much money on the table in order to get Tajiri to sign now, and it was an offer he couldn't refuse.

Joey Styles New WCW Play by Play Man?

Although he did work the Spring Stampede PPV, all signs point to Joey Styles tenure in WCW being a short one, as he was only signed to a three PPV deal, with no clauses for TV shows or any other appearances. Wether he'll even appear on another WCW show remains to be seen, as many think he was only used to put over the debuts of Yoshihiro Tajiri and Rob Van Dam.

Other options for WCW in the announce booth would appear to be Tony Shiavone, who many behind the scenes for the recently bought company would prefer not be used, and Mike Tenay, the prefered option for his wide range of wrestling knowledge.

Ric Flair to Retire?

After an epic match up with Sting that saw both men embrace and share a moment in time with a standing ovation from the crowd, rumors are flying that The Nature Boy has decided to hang them up. These rumors are clouded, as its not sure if these are real retirement thoughts, or simply being spread to promote an angle, possibly with the recently signed Steve Corino. At this time, all that is known is that WCW has made preliminary plans for a 'Ric Flair Appreciation Ceremony' at their next PPV, Slamboree.

Spring Stampede Numbers

Spring Stampede did a 0.57 buy-rate, with 7,052 paid. By all reports, WCW made money off the venture, suprising several insiders in the industry.

Happy, Happys

Happy Birthday for the month of May to the following WCW workers:

Lance Storm (33)

Jeff Jarrett (35)

Johnny The Bull (25)

Sting (44)

Diamond Dallas Page (42)

[Guest 72recreMoreZ]

great stuff man. You are a great writer. You can tell it takes time for your shows. ARe you doin TV shows though?

[ROZAY]

great stuff man.  You are a great writer.  You can tell it takes time for your shows.  ARe you doin TV shows though?

←

[Guest 72recreMoreZ]

ah that would make sense cause they are a brand new fed well i mean they just restarted

[TGC]

I enjoyed the PPV quite a bit, but it wasn't perfect.

I think my "gripes" were the wasted match with Waterman and Air Raid, which works well on a weekly show, but on a PPV is really nothing more than wasted time. If I paid $30 and got THAT as part of the show, I think I'd be mighty pissed. On the flip side, if you can book and push Waterman in a Steiner like role and mode I'd be most intrigued to see how that turned out. But no more worthless "squashes" on PPV's like that.

My other gripe was RVD tapping out in his debut. You had a Three Way Dance for The US Title and you already knew Booker wasn't gonna win. I have to wholeheartedly agree that Booker should have been pinned or been made to submit, as it would have worked on a whole lot of levels. First of all, Booker becomes the underdog in the match with DDP so his eventual win means that much more. Secondly you keep RVD strong, and he can proclaim himself obvious US Title Number One Contender as he didn't lose. Third, Storm is made to look strong and can be pushed upwards sooner rather than later simply by being able to lay claim that he pinned the World Champion a mere hour before he became champ. It was a missed opportunity when Kanyon defeated Booker in the same night he first won the World Title in 2000, and it's a missed opportunity here as well. Plus, I ALWAYS hate the Big Debut that ends in the debuter losing in his first match. He looks weak and looks like he really isn't as big a deal in The Big Leagues as he was in The Bush Leagues, if you get my meaning.

But all in all, I was impressed. It was a quality card, for the MOST part the right people went over, and it was both fun and well written. I give thee a grade of B-.

TGC

[Guest 72recreMoreZ]

Waterman is Ron right?

[SyxXtreme]

Yeah it is Ron Waterman...Mr. H2O.

[Thrilla]

So we're writing as we're reading

I love the little in-joke right at the start, the whole Bischoff hugging Vince McMahon thing, nice touch and establishes the difference between this reality and real life right at the beginning. Nice touch.

Styles/Bischoff is... Well a styles clash really and not one I can really see working, I'm expecting Bischoff to take a more on-screen role and someone like Scott Hudson to take up a position in the booth, but who knows?

I love the way you can set a scene inside six lines, we know what both are dressed like, what the ring looks like and who is face and heel and you haven't just told it to us flat out and say it, this is this and that is that.

I'm not too sure on having a resthold that early in a cruiserweight match, particularly with those guys. Nice match overall, I think the psychology was a little off overall, I mean would Helms really have been able to hit the Vertebreaker if Noble had been working over his knee that much? But nevermind that, nice opener with a finish that gets everyone happy for the rest of the show.

I know you'll hate me for it but 'Helm's is OUT!' should really just be Helms because being knocked out isn't a possessive or anything :thumbsup: and even if it was the apostrophe should come after the s not before.

Great way to debut Tajiri, once again great short detailing of everything we need to know as well, definetly one of your strong points in writing. I think everyone is hyped for the eventual Tajiri/Helms feud.

Nice to see Sting changed from Crow Sting to Old School Sting, I never bought him continuing that gimmick post-nWo, interview was what it was, Sting was never a great promo guy.

Waterman/Air Raid was a squash, just a few points though. Nice to see you're not making AJ a huge player just because he is big on the Indy scene nowadays, not that I really believed you would do such an amateurish thing, but I just thought I'd point it out. Also, in a company that saw perhaps the greatest ever singles monster push in wrestling history how impactful can building another monster up the same way be? Surely he'll just be seen as a replacement for the now WWF wrestler, Goldberg.

The Storm thing only really confirms who 95% of people thought the mystery person would be. I love the segway from the angle to the pre-match interview, with DDP coming out in his normal clothing. Buff just sounded pretty generic really.

DDP/Bagwell was short, which is a good thing. Puts DDP over as a major threat and keeps the Diamond Cutter over as a big finisher, this match was what it was. It is however the second short and pretty pointless match on a PPV, just something you should be wary of.

Now this match is interesting, everyone and his dog knows Booker isn't leaving the match as US Champ and that RVD is coming in as the mystery opponent. But a question that should be asked is, would the large majority of WCW fans know who RVD is? And how exactly does he gain a shot at the second biggest title in the company on his debut? Anyway, another great match here with an unexpected finish, does it kill RVD right out the blocks? I'm not sure, it'll depend how things go from here on, the Storm/RVD feud should be great and Booker moves on to the World Title match without having lost too much face in the match.

The Tag match strikes me as a bit of a place holder, but it does its job in solidfying the NBT as the tag champs which is all good. The finish isn't too bad either, saves face for the Filthy Animals but allows NBT to get a relatively clean win. It'll be interesting to see where the Tag division goes.

Nice to see Booker pulling out the big moves to finish off DDP there, it puts DDP a level up as the Axe Kick and the Book End weren't enough to finish him off but the Harlem Hangover was. I liked the match but once again it was predictable that Booker was going to be the one winning the match, not that that is a bad thing.

Great, great match between Flair and Sting, I could see the match in my head it was truly awesome. All the signature spots and even the small things added were spot on, this was a great example of knowing two wrestlers well and writing to their strengths. I loved the finish and its only right that Sting goes over, despite how much I wanted Flair to pick up the win. The embrace at the end is great as well, where does Flair go from here? Should be interesting to see.

Overall it was great show, you built some stuff up for the next show, established the major players and entertained me throughout the majority of the card. Most of it was a little predictable but like I said that isn't a bad thing as it shows you're doing logical things. A well written show, I enjoyed it. TGC pointed out the major booking flaws so no real need to go over them and much like TGC I'd give this show a B, very solid all round and I hope you build on it from here.

[DMN in the House]

LIVE from Orlando, Florida

Sunday, May 20th, 2001

Card Subject to Change

Ric Flair Retirement Ceremony

A Night for the Nature Boy

Appearances by 'The Enforcer' Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Sting, David Flair, and many more, as we celebrate the 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair's illustrious career!

WCW World Heavyweight Championship

Champion versus Champion

Booker T versus Lance Storm

Number One Contender to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

Sting versus 'The Chosen One' Jeff Jarrett

WCW World Tag Team Championship

The Natural Born Thrillers (Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo) versus Diamond Dallas Page and a partner of his choosing

Number One Contender to the WCW United States Championship

Rob Van Dam versus Chris Kanyon

Cruiserweight Mayhem!

Shane Helms and Shannon Moore versus 'The Japanese Buzzsaw' Yoshihiro Tajiri and 'The Redneck Messiah' Jamie Knoble

All this, plus MUCH MORE, only available on Pay Per View! Call your local cable provider or satellite service for details!

[TGC]

Closed and moved to Archives.